March 26, 2015 - Chicago, il

The Way Companies Select Custom Software Development Partners is Changing

ThoughtWorks, a global technology company, commissioned Forrester Consulting to evaluate how companies are designing, building and maintaining new customer-facing technology. The findings of the in-depth survey with 200 business and IT professionals across the UK, Australia and the United States are included in the study, “Driving Innovation Using the Right Skills: The Value of Custom Software Development.”

The survey results show business and IT leaders are interested in much more than gaining immediate access to development skills. Businesses seek strategic partners who can help with organizational transformation and knowledge transfer to internal staff, recognizing the long term benefits of exposure to high-performance development teams. Key findings of the survey include:

87% of survey respondents state they are willing to pay more for higher performance development skills, with one in four saying they would pay a 20% premium or higher.

Nearly 50% of the companies surveyed look for external help to build software because they lack the time and skills to do so on their own.

Delivery process satisfaction rates of those surveyed falls below 50%. Clearly there is room for improvement.

The way companies approach software development is changing. Success no longer hinges on acquiring raw development capacity at the lowest cost, rather it is dependent on finding the right combination of technical skills, industry knowledge, design capability, and development and delivery skills.

“Business and IT leaders are under pressure to deliver a continuous stream of stand-out digital experiences. In this environment it’s imperative technology is at the core of the business strategy,” says Craig Gorsline, President and Chief Operating Officer, ThoughtWorks. “The path to digital success is complex and requires a new approach - one that is iterative and adaptive, spanning multiple levels of the organization and providing quick time-to-value.”